I totally agree that they would know all about the Pacific Theater, I just don't think they would know much about Hitler. It's called a world war, but it was really two different wars happening at the same time. Japan and Germany agreed to leave eachother alone, that was the extent of their alliance. The European…

Fair enough. This conversation has become so much larger than what I first thought about. I don't understand why we let Germans govern themselves after the Third Reich, so I'm certainly not going to fight this battle. I figured that a group of kids deserved the benefit of the doubt. That was it.

I know I totally asked for it, but it messes with my head that I'm defending kids for being dumb over Hitler when I'm someone who rips the Denial crowd to shreds at every opportunity. I really wish they'd researched more.

You were right, I always try to be nice or at the very least constructive. So with that in mind I ask you to read the Jezebel post again. It states that the students who gave the salute were mimicking the banner and the students who made it were freshmen sending off the seniors.

And if that was what they did I would agree with you. They made a banner. Do I wish they'd researched more? Absolutely. But it's the ignorance they display that makes me inclined to not judge. I dedicated four years of my academic career to studying Europe in the WWII period, I promise I don't take this lightly. I…

Well, he wasn't elected, but apart from that I agree with you. But that's a lot of nuance for most folks and it would make current international relationships ... tricky.

What I was trying to say is that I don't know their history so why get mad they don't know mine. That was all. I don't think they're better or worse, it's just reality that folks learn their own history and then stop if they aren't history nerds. Heck, I'm a huge history nerd, but I know zip about Thailand's history…

I really adore the history stories. Thank you!

Except that the Pacific Theater was really quite separate. Japan and Germany really just agreed to leave each other alone, they didn't organize troops together or anything like that. It was really more like two different wars happening at the same time.

Personally I think it's because the Holocaust is a shorthand for the madness that gripped Germany. It really shows the depravity of that regime. And, honestly, without it I'm pretty sure that the universal code for evil would be a crazy big caterpillar mustache and a comrade coat instead of jackboots and natty Hugo…

I believe that Thailand was occupied by Japan, so they really weren't impacted. Yes, WWII had many ripples, but the two theaters were so different and had many different factions. I'm not at all surprised that when Germany lost their damned mind Thailand was a bit too busy trying not to get munched by the Japanese war…

Well, in the age of Wikipedia, no. But I was never taught one shred of Thai history in school or university, so I'm not mad that Thai schools aren't teaching our history.

But, isn't that true for every country?

I could not name one single king of Thailand, and I'm pretty sure most Westerners couldn't either. Given my own ignorance of their history I can't muster any outrage on this one. There is a lot of history in the world, and while the Holocaust greatly shapes our world and how we talk about evil and even how we talk…

Yeah ... honestly, I think that the only way this is going to get dealt with is by white people being willing to _say something_ when other white people act like this, instead of going silent and looking around the room nervously.

There's just so much stupid racist crap that it seems like it must have been a casting director doing it on purpose. The thing I can't decide is if, ultimately, is it a good thing for stuff like this to air? Does it just support assholes in antiquated, hurtful thinking because they see it on TV or does it cause them…

Thank you for being classy. * tips hat *

I used to struggle with this, because I was interested in hearing people's stories and I just wanted to understand. Then I read this: http://www.derailingfordummies.com/derail-using-e…

Every woman in America should see that movie. I don't think you can watch that movie and skip another election ever again. Those women were heroes and I think of them every time I slap on my 'I Voted' sticker.

Forcing-feeding them during Ramadan ... I don't think the authorities can say that they are doing this simply 'for their own good' to keep them alive and do that. It makes it crystal clear that this is simply another form of torture and that the United States of America has lost its way. We cannot claim to be a…